Electroplating apparatus.



A; VAN WINKLE I. J. T. DANIELS.

ELEGTEOPLATING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1907.

Patented Deo. 22, 1908.

3 SHEBTSQSHEET 1.

mm Ulan WITNESSES:

A. VAN WINKLE 6 J. T. DANIELS.v v

- BLEGTBOPLATING APPARATUS.

'APPLIOATION ruim JULY 29 1907'. 907,426.

. Pad 1390.22, 1908.

ATTORNEYS d' A. VAN WINKLE 6v J. T. DANIELS.

A BLEOTROPLATIN G APPARATUS.

APPLIoATIoH FILED JULY 2s, 1907.

.Patented Dec. 22. 1908.

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ABRAHAM VAN WNKLE AND .lOllN T. BANELS, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO HANSON di VAN WlNKLE CGMPANY, kn.4CORFORAT,ION OF NEW JERSEY.

Application filed July ad,

To all 'whom may concern:

Beit known that we, inseriert Vars' Win KLE and Jenn T. Daumas, oitiaens ol3 the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State ci' New Jersey, have invented -certainnew and useful lmprovernents in llectroplating Apparatus; and we do hereby declare the `following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionoi' the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which-it appertains to" malte and use the same, reference being had to the ac-A companying drawings, and to `/cbaracters of' reference marked thereon, which form a part of this speciiication. l

Our present invention'reletes, generally, to improvements in eleotroplating apparatus; and, the invention has, reference more particularly, to improvements in electro lating apparatus, arranged and constructed or the purposes of electro-depositing metals upon bodies made in the form of pipes, rods, or other similarly shaped bodies, which can be arranged in a rolling relation-to each. other within the electroplating 'lluid or electrolyte.

Ourpresent invention, therefore, has for its principal object to provide a novel and simply constructed electroplating; appara tus, comprising one or more contact-preducn ing and supporting rolls, upon which are movably arranged metal supports, in the form oi -.cliains or other flexible supports, forming `good conductors ol electricity, and in the loop-shaped supporting portions of which are deposited, in rolling relation with each other, piles of tubes, pipes, rods or other similarly shaped bodies, which are 'to be electroplated.

. @ther objects of this invention not at this time more particularly mentioned will be clearly evident from the following' specifi cation. h

lliith the various obieots ciz our present invention in view, the .said invention eonsiste, primarily, in tbe novel; electroplating apparatus hereinafter orth'; and, further more, this invention .consists in the various arrangements and combinations of devices 4and parts, as well as in the details ci the conm struction of the same, all ci which will be more fuliy described in the following specim ication, and then iinally embodied in the clauses of the claims which are appended to ,and which dorm an essential part of this Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

ll'. Serial No. 336,036.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawin s, in which:

Figure l is a top or p an view of an electroplating apparatus embodying the principles oi the present invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the apparatus;.and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same.

Similar characters of reference are ernployed in said above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to said figures, the reference-character l indicates a suitably constructed tank or vat,comprising a base 2, the sides 3, and the ends 4, all of which are suitably connected and may be tied with tiebolts 5, as clearly indicated in the several gures of the drawings.

Extending across the upper open portion of the tank or vat is .an arrangement of one or more rods or bars 6 which yare held inplace by means of suitable fastening devices, as 7, and substantially in .the manner shown in said Fig. l of the drawings. An electric conductor 8, in the form of a wire or rod, is oonnected with said rods or bars 6 by means ol suitably constructed contact-sleeve 9, or other similar fastening devices, and upon the end-portion of4 one of the said rods or `bars is another contact-sleeve 1U, with which is suitably connected an electric conductor, as a wire or rod l1, which lleads from the main source ci electricity. Suspended from each of said rods or` bars 6, by means or' suitable hooks 12, or in any other desired manner', are any desirable number of anodes 13, extending down into the velec-trolyteor plating solution.

Arranged "n the space between each pair of anode-rods or bars 6 is a revolving druinor roll le, each drum or roll being provided at its ends with suitably formed lates or caps, as i5, and extending from eacli platelor ca is a journal 16. By means of these journa s each roll or drum is rotatively and at the saine time removably arranged in .open or semi-circular bearings 17, which inay be secured upon the up )er edge-portionaof the sides 3, by means oi ysuitable bolts or screws Extending from the bearings upon the one side of the apparatus are suitable circuit-l wiresor rode 19, eacliwire having One-end-` portion secured to a bearing :by means of a means. These Wires'orrods leere provided y with. eontaeeproduQing-mmhers or elements set-screw 2D, or other suitable fastelling 2i, for connecting Withsaid Wires or rods 19 an electric circuit-Wire. or rod 22, which 1s connected by means of a' contact-element 23 With the main circuit-Wire 2li by means of 5 which the return circuit to the main source or supply ci electricity is completed. Upon the oppositeV end, the journal oi' each drum or roll 14 is provided. with a toothed or Worm-Wheel 25, eacl Wheel beingl in mesh with a Worm 2S upon a'driving shaft 27 which revolves in suitable bearings 28. `This shaft may be driven'irom a sprocket-Wheel 29, over which may be arranged a link driving chain; or, the said shaft may be operated in any other suitable manner. Each roll, in order that it Will serve as a `goed conductor of electricity for carrying the `electric current-into or from the Work which is to be electroplated, is provided withl a series ol` longitudinally extending metal strips, bands or plates 30, similar in arrangement and construction to those described. in our Patent No. 901,399, issued October 20th, 1908. Suitably secured upon each roll or drum are disks or plates 31, said disks or plates being suitably dis osed in airs upon the suid roll or drum, su stantial y as shown, so as to provide the spaces 32 between each pair of disks or plates. Movably supported and arranged in each space 32 is an endle chain 33, or other suitable ilexible .supporting means, the same being arranged in substantially the manner illustrated in the several figures of the drawings, so that suitable receiving and retaining loops 34 are provided, and in which can be arranged and suitably su ported a number of pipes or rods, as 5, or ot ier sin'iilar articles of manufacture which. are to be electroplated, in the manner more clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 ol' the flra'u'ings. llaving thus arranged the chains or` other suitable llexilile metal supporting means upon the rolls, drums or cylinders 1-1, and havingsuppcrted and suspended the cylindrical bodies in piles in the eleetrolytic .is solution, when the rolls or drums 14. are made to revolve, by means of the shaft 27, and the worms 26 and Worm-'wheels then the resocctive chains or supports 33 will move tarougli the plating fluid, in the direction of so the arrows at in' said Fig. 2 of the drawings. :it the saine time, the movements et the chains or supports 33 will cause the independit revolving motions ci the various cylindrical bodies in the directions of the arrows if, so that all points o' Llie surfaces el' the said fflindrieal pipes, rods, or similar bodies "will exposed to the action ci the plating lluid. zus, it will be seen, that when proper elecF al connection has been made, and the to pes, reds, or similar bodies Iii) are caused vlo -i in the directions .df the arrows y, und

i, lecri Jurreul. l rned on, the proc- -1 leelror. ion el the meialirom des, thro the electrolyte e.; bodies 55, immediately eea/ree' takes place, the electric circuit being com-' pleted through the moving chains or other vflexible su porting means, and through the metal con uctor-plates, bars or rods of the rolls or drums, and the circuit Wires with the main source oi electricity.

From the foregoing description o f our present invention, it will be clearly evident, that We have devised a simple and cheaply constructed electroplating apparatus, of the character and for the purposes herein-above stated, and which is most efficient in the electrodeposition of metal upon the surface-portions oi" a great number of Y ipes, rods, or similar' bodies, arranged in bul 1n the lating vat or tank, instead of each pipe or rod) being lindependently connected in circuit, when placed in the tank, as is now ordinarily the custom. I

Vire are aware that changes may be made inthe arrangements and combinations of the devices and parts, as Well asin the. details of the construction of the same, Without departing from the scope of this invention, and as clearly defined 'in the appended claims. Hence We do not limit our invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the devicesand parts as `described in the foregoing specification and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, nor do We confine ourselves to the exact details of the construction of the same.

YWe claim:

1. An electroplating apparatus comprising a vat or tank adapted to contain an electroplating solution, a revoluble drum or cylinder extending across said tank, longitudinally extending contact-bars upon said drum or cylinder, a means of electrical conn nection connected with said contactbars, and a series of endless and flexible-suspension devices movably arranged over said contact-bars, said suspension devices forming receiving loops extending into the electrolyte and adapted to receive and retain cylindrical bodies in bulk in the electrolyte.

2. An electroplating apparatus compris ing a lvat or tank adapted to contain an electroplating solution, a revoluble drum or cylinder extending across said tank, longitudinally extending contact-bars upon said drum or cylinder, a means et electrical connection connected with said contact-bars, and a series of disks arranged over the contact-bars upon said drum or cylinder, said disks being` arranged in pairs, and an endless and flexible suspension device movably arranged between each pair olE disks, said suspension devices forming receiving loops extending into the electrolyte and adapted to receive and retain cylindrical bodies in bulk in the electrolyte..

P. ln an electroplating ap aratus, the combination with a vat or tanli adapted to contain an electroplating solution, bearings said bearings, metal contact-bars uponsaid drum v or cylinder and connected at their ends with said plates,

and means arranged yover said drum and said contact-bars for re taining cylindrical bodies in bulk within said solution and producing inde endent revoluble movements of said cy 'ndrical bodies, substantially as and for the purposest set `forth. v l i 4. In an electroplating ap aratus, the combination with a vat or tan adapted to contain an electroplati solution, bearings connected with said tan said bearings being open upon their upper surfaces, the body of said drum or cylinder being a non-conductor of electricity, a metal plate at each end of said drum or c linder, a journal extending from each p ate and mounted in said bearings, metal contact-bars upon said drum or cylinder and connected'at their ends with said. plates, and means arranged over said drum and said contact-bars for retaining cylindrical bodies in bulk Within said solution and producing inde endent revoluble movements of said cy indrical bodies, consisting of endless flexible suspension devices movably arranged over said drum, said devices being formed with loops in which said cy lindrical bodies are supported, substantially as and for the purposes set forth,

5. In an electroplating ap aratus, the combination with a vat or tan adapted to contain an electro lating solution, bearings connected with said tank, said bearings being o en uponl their upper surfaces, the body of said drum or cylinder being a non-conductorof electricity, a metal plate at each end of said drum or cylinder, a journal extending from each plate and mounted. in

tending from each ,plate and mounted in combination with a vat or tan yble movements 4set forth above we said bearings, metal-contact-bars upon said drum or cylinder and connected at their ends with said plates, over said drum and said contact-bars for retaining cylindrical bodies in bulk Within said sf-l'iti'on and producing independent revolutie movements., of said all combined with another su port from which metal anodes are adapte to be suspended, and electric circuits connected With said'drum and said anode-support, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In an electrop ating ap aratus, the adapted to contain an electroplatinv' solution, bearings connected with said tan said bearings being open upon their upper surfaces, the body of said drum or cylinder being a non-conductor of electricity, a metal plate at each Aend of said drum or cylinder, a journal extending from eaclr plate and mounted in' saidbearings, metal contactfbars upon said drum for cylinder and connected at their ends with said plates, and means arranged over said drum and said contact-bars for retaining cylindrical bodies in bullc'within said solution and producing independent revolu- .of said cylindrical bodies, consisting of endless flexible suspension devices movably arranged over said drum,

said devices being formed with loops in which said cylindrical bodies are supported, all combined with which metal anodes are adapte to be suspended, and electric circuits connected with said drum and said anode-support, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony, that we claim the invention have hereunto set our hands this 27th dayof July, 1907.

ABRAHAM VAN WINKLE. JOHN T. DANIELS.

Witnesses G. L. FELDMAN,

B. F. PninsoN.

cylindrical bodies,-

another su port from 

